14 I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
15 For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
16 Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.
17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.
V. 14 - “I do not write these things to shame you” - He is not trying to make them feel bad.
“admonish you as my beloved children” - He is giving them instructions. He is telling them where they are off-track, and the steps they need to take. “This is where you have gone wrong. This is what you need to do to become right again.” Guiding them as a father would teach his children, helping them learn the correct way to behave.
Our modern society has become very “feelings” oriented. Many rules, laws and decisions are made so peoples’ feelings are not hurt. Sometimes it seems that it doesn’t matter what the facts or reality of the situation may be. We will make decisions so people can feel good about themselves. We don’t deal with the sin that is causing the problem, but we feel good about ourselves.
V. 15 - “for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.” - Paul was there when they accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. Paul was the first to lead them to Christ. There may be many others that will come along to offer instruction and guidance. No matter how many teachers and preachers may come through their life, only one person was present at their new birth.
I committed my life to Christ in Dallas, TX during “Explo ‘72”. We had daily meetings in which the speaker, Howard Ball would teach us. Bill Bright would speak also, but it was Howard that had the deepest impact on me. His teaching and instruction helped me to see that I needed to turn my life over to Christ. I had grown up going to church with my parents. I had believed in Jesus and was baptized when I was a child. But it wasn’t until Explo ‘72 that it finally dawned on me what I needed to do. And, I will forever be grateful to Dave Nelson who mentored me and guided me in my spiritual growth, but it was Howard in Dallas who was there at my new birth.
V. 16 - “Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me” - How confident Paul is in his faith! Am I brave enough to encourage others to copy me and my Christian lifestyle? People should know I am a Christian. People should not be turned off to Jesus Christ because of my behavior. Even though you may not be a teacher or preacher, you are a Christian and your life is scrutinized by all around you.
V. 17 - “For this reason I have sent to you Timothy” - Timothy began to work with Paul after he and Silas worked their way through the area of Cilicia (An area of southern Turkey - which is between the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea), and met in the town of Lystra. Timothy was the son of a Jewish mother and Greek father.
An interesting part of this account is that Paul asked Timothy to be circumcised, and he agreed. You may wonder at that, since Paul’s ministry was primarily to the Gentiles. Paul started almost every encounter in a town or city in a synagogue. The devout Jews would not speak or discuss with Timothy if he was not circumcised. Therefore his circumcision opened doors for Paul and Timothy to share the gospel.
Timothy’s circumcision was not a religious rite that made him acceptable to God. Think about that: he would do whatever it takes to be able to share Christ. It was pain and suffering endured so that he would not be hindered in sharing the gospel with anyone - Jew or Gentile. Silas and Timothy became such trusted co-workers that he had no qualms sending them to churches, or leaving them in cities to continue preaching. Paul could trust them to teach and preach.
“He will remind you of my ways which are in Christ” - Timothy was more than a co-worker. He is called “a beloved and faithful child in the Lord”. Being a solid and well-grounded believer, he could trusted to teach the principles of being a child of God. He will teach the same things Paul teaches, which Paul learned from the Lord Jesus Christ.
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